Last night, Ryan took charge of dinner, saving us from another night of takeout. The main ingredient was a pumpkin we picked up a few weeks back in La Crosse that had been sitting on a table in the corner of our kitchen begging to be used.
Since butternut squash and pumpkin are pretty interchangeable (heck, most canned pumpkin is actually butternut squash), we made one of the winning recipes from FoodNirvana, the food competition at Minnesota Street Market that I judged. We reduced the coconut milk, added a little lime juice and seasoned it up with salt and pepper and enjoyed a delicious dinner.
Curried
Pumpkin and Wild Rice Soup
Serves 6-8Adapted from JJ and Lisa Torborg's recipe
1 cup uncooked wild rice
3 cups water
2 ½ pounds pumpkin
2 ½ cups vegetable broth
½ cup orange juice
2 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped,
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 ½ tsp curry powder
1 can coconut milk (we used 1/2 can)
1 ¼ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
2 wedges lime, juiced
In a pot, bring the
wild rice and water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 35 - 40
min until kernels are tender and just begin to pop open.
Pre-heat the oven to
350 degrees. Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise, scrape the inside clean, and
save the seeds for future use. Lay the pumpkin face side down in a large baking
dish. Cook for 45-60 minutes or until tender, using a fork to check tenderness.
When tender, scoop pumpkin away from skin, place in a bowl, and mash lightly.
Once the pumpkin is lightly mashed, mix in the vegetable broth and orange
juice.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion and the garlic until tender. Season with the curry powder. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add to the pumpkin mixture and mix well.
Mix in the cooked
wild rice and coconut milk (taste for sweetness) and cook until heated through.
Season with salt, pepper, and lime juice and serve.
